Tractor



Dec. 19, 1922. 1,439,045;

' F; 0- WILSON.

- TRACTOR- 7 man NOV. 24,19 9. 3 SHEETS--SHEET I.

Dec. 19,1922. I 1,439,045.

- F. D. WILSON.

TRACTOR HLED N0v.24,19:a. 3SHEETS-SHEET a I I VENTUR. #49,, MM,

= BY %mmmm A TITORNEYS.

Dec. 19,1922. 1,439,045. F. D WILSON.

TRACTOR. FILED NOV- 24, L919. 3 $HEETSSHEET 3 WI Z/VTOE devicealso-contains inipr FREDERICK D. "WILSON, OF MOLINE, ILLINU'JIS,A$$1GNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNM'ENTS, T0

AUSTIN IVMLNUFAC'I'URING fiOIJIIPiZQhTEZ, OF C ILLINOIS.

GAGE, ELLENUIS, A O0R$ORATION 016 'ipplication fled Kiev-amber 3 1,1918'. Serial No. 340,206

To u/Z "lo/1021i it may concern.

lie it lHIOWIl that l, FRED'ERHJK ll. li iLsoir, 21 citizen oi theUnited States. residing at Moline. in the county oi Rock Island andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful l'm' irovementsin Tractors. of which the following is n specili *ation.

lily invention husreference to tractors, such 21s are employed forgeneral field Worlt and other viorlt upon it term. and it relates morespecially to means for coiitrollingr the action or the tractor, eitherWhile the operw tor is stationed on the nnrchine itself on n machineheing trailed in rear thereof. or from o. point on the mound. it alsopcrtnins to tour-wheel tractors. of that class \vlmrein theczirlfyirig-Wheels ere always held in line with the line of increment ofthe inn-- chine the operation of tnr r the tractor beingnccoinplished bydriving the carryingo'hecls on one side or the inzit-lune while themovement. of those on ti o oppo side oi the nnmhine is temporarilyinterrupted. ihc

oi'enicnts on ii sinninr machine for which l nited States were :0 Iunder date of l ehrnar tierinl 274,91L wherein the carrying Wheels onopposits sides of the tractor were opcriitirely united. by means ofsprocket gearing.

in devices of the class mentioned, in the operation of which it isnecessary to describe curves and angular turns. it is essential that themachine should respond promptly to the demands insde upon it, and that.tilt} con- .i' h v myself fi O.

.trolling mechanism should he arranged so as to act quicltly' andpositively. and at the same time not interfere with the ordinary actionoi the machine. One of the objects of my invention is to increase theetliciency thereof along: these lines.

in carrying out the PUTPOSGS oil the invention l. inzilte use of noveltransmission devices whereby the power of a main driveshaftmay heconnmunczited to carrying!" Wheels on opposite sides or thell'lziclililt. to give the required movement thereto. These devicescomprise two separate and independent mechanisms. not connected by meansoi diiierentinl gearing or other devices through which one of ti etronsniission gearing might be affected by the action of the other set'lrnctors of the four-Wheel drive are quite grenorally provided svith-zliiIlill gearing.

one of the results of Which is that when the carrying Wheel at one endof the driving. axle is stopped, and the opposite wheel continues to opeate. it does so at an increased rate of speed, requiring additionalpower to drive the seine. in in machine, on the contrary. the stoppingof one of the carrying wheels not only does not tend to increase thespeed of the active one, butpermits additional power to he appliedthereto, the cessn tion or movement otlthe one Wheel operating at onceto relieve the motor from that part oi its lend.

i also provide novel devices for the con Jtrol or the transmissionmechanism, Whereso that the machine can be driven from a pointdistanttherefronn. much after the K113111181 of controlling 21 horse.

The transn'iission devices are of such a character that when one setthereof 15 thrown out of operation, the carrying: Wheel connectedtherewith is instantly locked from further movement, resulting in theturning movement of the machine being quickly ecconiplished. I

The shove, and other features and advsntages of my invention will morefully appear from the following specification, reference. being had tothe drawings accompanying the some, in which:

Fig. l. is plan View, illustrating so much of the device as is involvedin the present improvement.

Fig. 9. is an enlarged plan View of the transmission devices, withpart-s of the enclosing casing in section.

Fig.5. 3 :1 side elevation of the invention. will 4- shows the clutchdevices, detached if gig. is :1 detail oil? the stceringnvheel stem endcorn.

liorrespondingr parts are indicated by sim ilsr reference charactersthroughout the sevtrally mounted in the casings f5 and l and rigidlyconnected therewith an axle 7. upon the ends of which are rotatablymounted the rear carrying wheels. (Xot shown herein.) The central casingand tubular extensions thereol are preferably formed in two similarsections. for the convenience of manufacture. and so that such partswill be interchangeable.

Rotatable on the axle 7. within the casings 3 and 4, respectively. aregear-wheels and 9. (Fig. 2) provided on their outer faces withextensions it). which have a rigid connection with sprocket-wheels 1.1.only one or which is shown. secured to the hubs 12 of thecarrying-wheels. By this means the rotary movement of the wheels 8 and 9is imparted to the rear carrying wheels. causing the same to revolve.Movement. can also be communicatedto the tor-ward carry ing wheels ofthe machine by means o't sprocket chains connecting the wheels 11.

' tubular casings 5 and (5.

with similar wheels on the hubs ot' the front carrying wheels. All oithe carrying wheels are thus utilized for the purpose of driving themachine.

Journaled in the lower part of the casing 1, at right angles with theshaft 7. is a shaft 13, operatively connected with a drive-shatt 14.which receives movement from the motor of the tractor. in opposite endsof the casing 1 worm drive wheels 15 and lb are mounted on the shaft123.. so as to rotate freely tiereon. said worm-drives being in meshwith worm gears 11' and lS' on the ends of shafts 19 and 20 jonrnaled inthe (in the outer ends of said shafts are gear pinions 21 and in meshwith the wheels 8 and 9. (onnected with the worms 15 and 16. so as tohave rotation. therewith. are. clutch members 223 and 24, provided withfriction disks which are adapted to be engaged by similar diskscontained in clutch members 25 and 26. slidable on a squared port-ion 2?of the shaft l3. On their inner faces the last-named clutch mem 'bershave bearine collars Q8 and 329. a ainst which force is applied to causean engagement of the. clutches by means ot cams Ill) and 31 on the lowerends of rods 32 and 33. provided on their upper ends with curvedextensions 34k and 35. The engagement of either of the clutch devicesoperates to rotate the worm associated therewith. which movement isimparted through the wori'n -gears and other gearing to the carryingwheels on one or other side of the machine. lhe en gagement of both ofthe clutches at the same time serves to operate all of the carrying-Wheels simultaneously.

Suitably mounted on the frame or the tractor, convenient to themechanism hereinbefore described, is a standard as. in the upper end ofwhich is pivoted a pin 37. projected downwardly into a cam 38. providedin its lower edge with a notchiit engaged by a. dog i pivoted in thesupport ac. The dog it) has a weighted arm ll. which tends to hold saiddog in place in the notch -39. and return it thereto. upon having beendisplaced. By the engagement of said dog and slot the stem 37 is heldnormally in a vertical position.

llaving a pivotal mounting on the stem 3? is a wheel 42. provided with ahandle -l- 3. which is preferably hinged to the wheel. so as to folddownwardly out of the way. as indicated in broken lines in Fig. l. ()nthe lower face of the wheel 42 are loops it and 4.5. with which areconnected the ends of rods .lli and 47. the other ends of said rodshaving a yieldable attachment with the ends of the arms Eli and 35 bymeans of frame, it and -29. connected with the. ends of said arms. andcontaining coiled springs in) and 51. held on the rods in and J by meansof heads or nuts on the ends thereof. (hen the stem 37 is vertical. andthe wheel 4-2 in a neutral position. as shown in Fig. l, the arms '34and I35 will be held so as to cause. both oi? the cams 3t) and 31 tooperate. resulting in the movement of the carrying wheels on both sidesof the machine. if it is desired to turn the machine to the right. thewheel L2 is given a slight turn in that direction, this actioncontracting the. spring 50 and holding the cam, 30 in engagement withthe collar 28. fit the same time the spring 51 is relaxed. and the headof the rod 47 omes in contact with the frame it moving the arm $55 so asto disengage the cam 31. The wheels on the right hand side of themachine thereby cease to operate. while the continuation of the movementon the opposite side of the machine serves to direct the movement of themachine towards the night. in this way the tractor is capable of makinga rectangular turn. which is frequently required oiit in its work in thelield. The turning of the wheel 42 to the left will cause a similaroperation of the machine in that direction.

lin the foregoing description of the operation .ot the machine it isassumed that'the driver is in proximitv to the wheel e2. so as tooperate the same with his hands. but in order that it may be actuatedfrom a machine in rear of the tractor. or at some other point distanttherefrom. said wheel is made in the term of a sheave. so as to receivea cord 52 which passes around the wheel and projects rearwardly intoapair of lines. for manipulation by the hands of the operator. The lowerpart of the wheel is provided witha tlange 22 to better support thelines in all the positions which the wheel assumes. In operation. thewheel LZ is turned in either direction as desired. the same as by thehands in the first instance. It frequently happens that the operatorwill be at one side ma ma of the tractor, so that the lines. instead itextending directly to the r ar, will be at one side or other of thewheel. in order that engagement of the lines with the wheel may beassured under all conditions. there is pivoted on the stem 37, above thejournal of the wheel 42 a sleeve 53, carrying a guideframe Set, the endsof which curve downwardly and enclose the cord to prevent its escapefrom the wheel. If the driver changes his position with relation to theline of movement of the tractor, the frame accommodates it to thediffering positions of the lines. It is thus possible for the operav torto describe a partial circle of approximately one hundred and eightydegrees. from one side of the machine to the other. This is a specialadvantage when the operator is on a machine in rear of the tractor.which machine assumes different angles with relation to the tractor,such as are caused by describing curves and angles.

If it is desired to stop the tractor when in motion the dog eh)is'released from engagement with the cam as. permitting the wheel as totilt in the direction of the rods 32 and 33. This releases the tensionon the arms 8% and 85, disengaging the cams 30 and 31, and interruptingthe movement of the trans mission devices. "When it is desired to startthe machine again the wheel 42 is pulled back into a horizontalposition. the dog 40 automatically engaging the notch in the cam 38. andholding the wheel in such position. If the machine is being actuated bythe lines, to release the cam, a quick jerk is given to the lines,causing the dog 40 to be. expelled from the notch 39. The lines are thenrelaxed, permitting the wheel to rock forwardly. When it is desired tostart the machine again .the wheel is pulled back into position by meansof the lines. In using the lines to stop the machine. the jerk giventhereto, to release the dog. is imparted to the springs 50 and 5t.causing a slight contraction thereof, and upon the wheel tipping in aforward direction there is a reaction which is likely to be directedagainst the ends of the frames 48 and L5), and received upon the ends ofthe arms 34- and 35. In order that this action may not be too abrupt. Iprefer to leave a little space between the ends of the rods 46 and 47 atthe ends of the f arms, when such partsare in an operative position, Thereactionary force of the spring is thereby expended before the head ofthe rod comes in contact with the end of the frame.

If the worm drives 15 and 16 are provided with the usual pitch. it willbe impossible for such worms to he turned rearwardly through a. reversemovement of the worm-gears l7 and 18. lit follows, therefore. thatwhenever either of said worms is thrown out of engagement with theclutch,

the parts associated therewith. including the carrying wheels. will belocked from mover 1 incnt. This adds to the successful operation of thedevice in turning from a straight line.

the turning being accomplished by the wheels which are in movement.

There has been shown and described here in the preferred embodiment ofmy invention. it being recognized that possible changes in the form andarrangement of the parts thereof may be made within the scope and spiritthereof.

il'hat I claim and desire to secure. is:

1. In a device of the class described. a suitably mounted casing, ashaft mounted therein, adapted for connection with the main drive-shaft:worm drives mounted on said shaft, so as to rotate freely thereon; anaxle mounted in said casing: carrying Wheels on said axle, capable ofindependent rotation thereon; gear-wheels supported on said axle andoperatively connected with said carrying-wheels; gearing connecting saidworm drives with said gear-wheels; clutch devices mounted on said shaftand operatively connected with said worm drives: and means for actuatingsaid clutch devices. to impart rotation to said worm drive devices, soas to cause a joint or separate operation thereof, as desired.

2. In a device of the class described, a. pair of independentlyrotatable carryingwheels; gear-wheels operatively connected with saidcarrying-wheels; a drive-shaft rotatably mounted centrally of saidcarrying wheels: cross-shafts rotatably mounted in proximity to saiddrive-shaft; gear pinions on the outer ends of said cross-shafts in meshwith said gear-wheels; worm-gear devices operatively connecting saiddriveshaft and cross-shafts, and normally out of engagement with saiddrive-shaft; and means for causing the engagement of said drive-shaftand worm-gearing. to actuate. said cross-shafts simultaneously orindependently, as desired.

3. in a device of the class described. a pair of independently rotatablecarrying-wheels: gear-wheels operatively connected with said carryingwheels; a drive shaft rotatably mounted centrally of said *arryingwheels: cross-shafts rotatably mounted in proximity to said drive-shaftand projected outwardly therefrom in opposite directions: ear-pinious onthe outer ends of said drive-shafts. in mesh with said gear-wheels: andworm gearing operatively connecting said (hive-shaft and cross-shafts.normally out of engagement with said drive-shaft. and adapted to bethrown into engagement therewith to actuate said cross-shaftsindependently or simultaneously: said worm gearing operating to locksaid cross-shafts from reverse movement when out of engagement with saiddriveshaft.

4. In con'ibination with a drive shaft and gearing carried thereby,normally out of engagement therewith; clutch mechanism associated withsaid gearing and adapted to throw the same into engagement with saidshaft; a tiltingly mounted steering wheel; yieldab'le means ofconnection between said wheel and said clutch mechanism; and means forholding said wheel normally in position to cause the operation ofsaidclutch mechanism.

5. In combination with a drive-shaft and two sets ofgearing associatedtherewith, and normally out of engagement therewith; clutch devicesoperatively connected with said gearing, a tiltingly mounted steeringwheel; connecting members attached to said wheel and having a yieldableconnection with said clutch devices; and means for holding said wheelnormally in an operative position. f

6. In combination with a drive-shaft and two sets of gearing operativelyassociated therewith; clutch devices operativelyconnected with saidgearing; rods adapted to operate said clutch devices independently ofeach other; a. steering wheel rotatably mounted in proximity to saidrods; and connecting means between said steering wheel and said rodsprovided with tension devices.

7. In combination with a frame and drive-shaft mounted therein, two setsof gearing operatively connected with said drive-shaft and normally outof engagementtherewith; clutch devices operatively connected with saidgearing, and adapted for the operation of either set independently ofthe other; rods adapted for the operation of said clutch devices; asteering wheel movably mounted on said frame; connecting means betweensaid wheel and said rods, provided with tension devices, and means forholding said wheel normally in an operative position.

8. In combination with a frame and drive-shaft mounted therein, two setsof gearing operatively connected with said shaft and normally out.ofengagement therewith; clutch devices operatively connected with saidgearing; rods adapted for the independent operation of said clutchdevices; a steering-wheel tiltingly mounted on said frame, and providedwith rein-supporting means; connecting means between said steering-wheeland said rods provided with tension devices; means for holding saidwheel normally in an operative position; and reins connected with saidsteering wheel.

9. In a device of the class described, steering devices comprlsmg atiltingly mounted stem provided with a cam member; a hand-wheelrotatable on said stem; and means for engagement with said cam member tolock said stem with the wheel in operative position, said means beingadapted for automatic engagement.

10. In a device of the class described, steering devices comprising atiltingly mounted stem provided with a cam mem her; a hand-wheelrotatably mounted on said stem. and provided with a peripheral groove;reins operable in said groove; a guide frame mounted above said wheel,to hold said reins in an operating position; and means for engagementwith said cam meniberto hold said stem and wheel in an operativeposition.

11. In combination with a frame and drive shaft mounted'therein;transmission devices operatively connected with said drive-shaft, andnormally out of engagement therewith; clutch devices operativelyassociated with said transmission devices for the independent operationthereof; clutch operating members; a steering wheel tiltingly mounted onsaid frame; connections between said steering wheel and clutch operatingmembers, adapted to be released uponsaid wheel being tilted out of anormal position; and means for holding said wheel normally in anoperative position.

12.111 combination with a frame and drive-shaft mounted therein; twosets of transmission devices operatively connected with said shaft andnormally out of engagement therewith; clutch devices operativelyassociated with said transmission devices for the independent operationthereof; clutch operating members; a steering-wheel mounted tiltingly insaid frame and provided with operating reins; connecting members betweensaid steering wheel and clutclnoperating rods, provided with springdevices adapted to exert a tension upon said rods when said wheel is inan operative position; and means for holding said wheel normally in anoperative position; said means being releasable upon said reins beinggiven a jerking movement.

13. In combination with a frame and carrying -wheels therefor, adrive-shaft mounted in said frame; transmission devices. connecting saidshaft with said carrying wheels, for the independent operation thereof,and normally out of engagement with said shaft; clutch devicesoperatively associated with said transmission devices; clutch-operatingmembers; a steering-wheel supporting member tilting'ly mounted on saidframe; a cam associated therewith and provided with dog-engaging means;a dog pivoted adjacent to said cam and adapted for engagement therewith;a steering wheel mounted on said support and provided with operatingreins; and connecting means be tween said wheel and clutch operatingmembers provided with tension devices; whereby one or both of saidclutch devices may be actuated when said wheel is in an operative Manamaposition; said dog. being adapted to be re leased upon a jerkingmovement being im-- parted to said reins.

' 14. In a device of the class described, a motor and two independentpower. transmitting mechanisms, a rotatable member mounted upon avertically oscillatable memher for controlling the distribution of powerI FREDERICK n. WILSON.

